Movin' Out (Brian's Song)

"Movin' Out (Brian's Song)"

“Movin’ Out (Brian’s Song)” is a season six episode of the FOX animated television series Family Guy. It is the 100th episode, though it is labeled as 98th by FOX, since it does not include the three edited-for-TV episodes that make up Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story and counts the double-length episode "Blue Harvest" as two separate episodes. The episode title is a play on Billy Joel's 1977 top 20 Hit "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" as well as the 1971 TV movie Brian's Song.

Plot summary

Brian turns down a chance to see Disney on Ice with Jillian, so he decides to give his ticket to Peter. After Peter and Jillian spend the entire day together and greatly enjoy each other's company, Peter convinces Jillian to either force Brian to let her move in with him or leave him. A reluctant Brian agrees to get an apartment with Jillian. Much to his surprise, Brian has a good time living with Jillian, but he comes to the realization that there is no way he can pay the rent by himself and he decides to allow Stewie to move in with them, who now makes money with his own paper route. Brian does not tell Jillian that Stewie is helping with the rent, rather he tells her Stewie misses him. Stewie quickly gets in the way of Brian and Jillian's happiness living together and after arguing with Brian one night, Stewie reveals that he is paying half the rent, prompting Brian to admit he never wanted to move in with Jillian at all. Heartbroken, Jillian leaves Brian.

After many failed attempts to lift a saddened Brian's spirits, Stewie convinces Brian to try to get Jillian back. Brian goes to her apartment, only to find that she has now moved in with Mayor Adam West. As the two go their separate ways, Brian moves back in with the Griffins, where he manages to move on with his life.

In the side story, Meg is given a job at a local convenience store. Meg is extremely happy with her job and she decides to help a recently unemployed Chris get a job there. Chris immediately clicks with the store owner, Carl (played by H. Jon Benjamin), and he is given a large promotion which Carl originally promised to Meg. When Meg takes issue with this, she is fired. Lois, to whom Meg has told of her plight, explains the situation to Chris and tells him to stand up for Meg by getting her job back. Chris is able to do this after bribing Carl by withholding his opinions of movies he and Carl normally discuss until Carl re-hires her. Meg, in turn, rejects working at the store again, as she only had Chris get her her job back to see if he would stand up for her.

Censorship

During the scene where Lois and Brian talk about whether or not Brian should move in with Jillian, a fake advertisement for The Simpsons with Marge appears on the bottom of the screen. Quagmire walks in and tries to rape Marge. Marge runs offscreen with Quagmire following her. After Lois and Brian finish talking, Marge and Quagmire return while Marge exclaims how wonderful sex with Quagmire was; Quagmire suggests going to Marge's house for "round two." (Offscreen), Quagmire finishes having sex with Marge at The Simpson home, but then kills the entire Simpson family after they walk in on them (also offscreen). This scene was cut from the Fox airing, but aired on Global in Canada and on Adult Swim in the United States. The version shown on Fox cut abruptly to commercial prior to the scene referencing The Simpsons.

Though it may not have been censorhip, in the Fox version in the scene where Brian and Jillina are making out on the couch Stewie's off-screen dialogue is missing leaving Brian seemingly talking to no one. In the Adult Swim version shown a month later the dialogue is still missing.

Notes

• H. Jon Benjamin (famous for his role of Coach McGuirk on the animated series Home Movies) performed the voice of Carl, which may explain Coach McGuirk's cameo in the previous episode, Blue Harvest.
• The episode makes reference to an ongoing gag of suggesting not only Stewie's homosexuality, but also an attraction to Brian. After Jillian leaves Brian and Brian has turned off the lights, Stewie tells Brian that he should have sex with the next person he sees as a way of getting back at her for walking out on him. After that, he turns on the light, and his face is right in front of Brian's. Brian then punches him off the bed.
• This is the fifth reference to Brian's novel, being previously referenced in Brian the Bachelor, Brian Goes Back to College, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, and Saving Private Brian. Brian comes up with a title, "Faster than the Speed of Love". Unfortunately, his novel isn't original (the story is a mix of Iron Eagle and its three sequels), a fact which the whole family found quite humorous.
• This episode continues to explore (more explicitly) the underlying subtext of bestiality of the dog Brian's ongoing sexual relationships with women, first alluded to in "Da Boom," "Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows," etc.
• Films mentioned in conversation between Chris and Carl are Cruel Intentions, Career Opportunities, A Beautiful Mind, Leaving Las Vegas, Adventures In Babysitting, Cocktail, Broken Lizard's Club Dread, and Event Horizon.
• Joanna, the librarian from Petergeist, makes an appearance at Stewie's party.